The abominable Kirstie Alley

By Dean Robbins

“Baby Sellers” (Saturday, 7 p.m., Lifetime) goes inside the criminal operations that provide infants for the adoption market. The TV movie is efficiently written and directed to evoke maximum outrage.

In the opening scenes, Homeland Security officers with flak jackets and assault rifles surround a truck carrying a cargo of babies in plastic bins. One of the officers (Jennifer Finnigan) is so disgusted by what she sees that she goes undercover to a shady adoption agency, posing as a woman seeking a baby from India. Agency head Carla (Kirstie Alley) is all sweetness and smiles in public but cold and calculating as she deals with her suppliers behind closed doors.

I’m used to loving Alley on the small screen, so it’s a shock to see her as a villain. And what a villain — cynical, blunt and cruel. She makes such a memorable creep that it might be hard for her to go back to playing sympathetic characters. I’m worried that, from now on, even seeing her in “Cheers” reruns will make me uneasy.

“Say Yes to the Dress”

Friday, 8 p.m. (TLC)

The season premiere features Kristin Chenoweth, the spunky Broadway and TV star, who accompanies her assistant Julie to pick out a wedding dress. It’s Julie’s big day, but she doesn’t get to be the center of attention. Chenoweth steals the spotlight, apparently unable to keep from mugging when a camera is rolling.

Wildlife expert Casey Anderson returns for a new season of getting way too close to North American wildlife. In the season premiere, Anderson hears about a place in British Columbia where wolves are aggressively attacking humans. For most of us, that would lead to only one conclusion: “Stay away from British Columbia.” Anderson, by contrast, makes a beeline to the scene of the carnage.

When he discovers a mangled carcass in the woods, he’s overjoyed. “The good news,” he says, “is that there’s wolves very close to here right now.” That’s the good news?

“Basketball Wives”

Monday, 7 p.m. (VH1)

Reality series about groups of passionate women acquaintances are all about the fighting. We wait for the moment when someone throws crockery, and they always do. That is, until “Basketball Wives” came along.

This group of women are in and out of relationships with professional basketball players and have a penchant for intelligently talking through their problems. I would applaud these women in any context but that of a reality series.

“Broadchurch”

Wednesday, 9 p.m. (BBC America)

A quiet English town registers shock when an 11-year-old boy’s body turns up on the beach. No one on the local police force has experience in such matters except a new detective in town named Alec Hardy (David Tennant). Alec is haunted-looking and intense, given to outbursts when his partner, Ellie (Olivia Colman), makes mistakes. Ellie’s son was a friend of the victim, and she can’t help letting her own feelings affect the investigation.

This BBC series brings to life not only the two detectives, but a whole community where veryone knows everyone, and everyone becomes a suspect in the murder. CV

Dean Robbins is a syndicated TV columnist from Madison, Wis. See more of his work at www.thedailypage.com.